Expansion gap sealing device

ABSTRACT

The present expansion gap sealing device has a plurality of rigid strips and elastomeric strips between adjacent rigid strips which extend longitudinally through the gap. The strips are supported by legs extending downwardly into the gap. Upper ends of the legs are connected to the rigid strips. Lower ends of the legs are interconnected with each other in pairs whereby adjacent legs form a pair and an elastically yielding structure. The lower leg ends may be interconnected by bars.

United States Patent 1191 Bertschmann Sept. 9, 1975 [54] EXPANSION GAP SEALING DEVICE 3.720142 3/1973 Pare 52/396 3,732,021 5/1973 Rina A 1 ,1 404157 [75] Inventor: Y' Beflschmanm Meggen, 3,797,l88 3/1974 Mansfeld 52/396 swltzerland 3,797,952 311974 Pommerening 52/396 [73] Assignee: Friedrich Maurer Soehne, Munich, O G PATENTS APPLICATIONS Germany 1,239,446 7/1960 France 52/573 22 Filed; No 21, 1972 1,534,229 4/1970 Germany 52/396 App! 308452 Primary Examiner-Henry C. Sutherland Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Wolfgang G. Fasse [30] Foreign Application Priority Data Nov. 23, l97l Switzerland [7023/71 [57] ABSTRACT The present expansion gap sealing device has a plural- 52 us. Cl; 404/68; 52/396 ity of rigid strips and elastomeric Strips between adja [51] f EOIC "/12; E04}: 15/14 cent rigid strips which extend longitudinally through Fleld 0 Search the The strips are Supported l g extending 52 58 downwardly into the gap. Upper ends of the legs are connected to the rigid strips. Lower ends of the legs [56] References and are interconnected with each other in pairs whereby UNITED STATE PAT adjacent legs form a pair and an elastically yielding 3,113,493 12/1963 Rinker 52/396 structure. The lower leg ends may be interconnected 3,245,328 4/1966 Fassbinder... 52/396 by bars. 3,423,780 1/1969 A116 404/47 3,482,492 l2/l969 Bowman 14 16 13 Clalms, 6 Drawing Figures 2 1o 1o 10 9 1o J 1 5 '1 l -'4 Q 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 o a I. I 0' *5 ..-'I f a .2.

c Q l '10 l-0' 13 I 1 1a 15\- I I L EXPANSION GAP SEALING DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to expansion gap sealing devices for bridging expansion gaps in bridges, roadways or the like wherein so called gap strips form the traffic supporting roadway surface. Between adjacent strips there are inserted elastic expansion members extending with the strips longitudinally and in parallel to each other through the gap. The gap strips include edge plates connected to the edges of the gap.

In a known device of this kind as described in German Pat. No. Pub. 1,534,229 layed open to publication inspection on Apr. 16, 1970 the strips are supported on a structure of connecting rods jointed at both sides to the edge of the gap. Each strip is connected at its underside to a number of the rods. Under traffic load conditions the strips press on the joints whereby the load is distributed over all the pivoted rods and is transmitted to the edges of the gap. As the structure serving as a support for the plates is arranged below the plates, the spaces between the plates can be employed for positioning said expansion members which act as sealing bodies so as to produce a water-tight construction.

The known device requires a high degree of accuracy in manufacture if a uniform distribution of forces in the connecting rods is to be achieved. The pivots are subject to wear and tear and tend to produce rattling noises. Forces acting transverse to the direction of traffic movement cannot be absorbed by the known device, yet such forces do arise and in practice they cannot be avoided whereby overloading of the joints cannot be prevented and the useful life of the assembly is thereby shortened.

Another known device disclosed in German Pat. No. 1,255,] 27 published for opposition Nov. 30, I967 is of a grid-like construction. In one embodiment of this construction the grid bars which extend transversely to the direction of traffic movement form the road surface in the region of the gap. These grid bars are rigidly connected to the grid bars that bridge the gap. The last mentioned bars extend upwardly and are curved elastically yielding supporting rods.

This known device avoids pivot joints subject to wear and tear. However, it has the drawback that one cannot make it water-tight. The small gaps between the grid bars which are subject to two-dimensional changes of shape at every movement of the expansion gap, cannot be sealed efiectively.

A further drawback of the known device is seen in that the desired elasticity of the grid can only be attained when the sealing device bridges relatively nar row gaps because only then may the supporting bars be made sufficiently thin to be easily deformable. Known sealing devices of the just described type require stiff carrier bars when they are to bridge wide expansion gaps, whereby the known device only has a small elasticity or deformability.

A further drawback of the known device is seen in that the straight supporting bars which extend across the line of traffic flow cannot be arranged with any desired small spacing between them because sufficient space must be provided between the straight bars for the wavy supporting bars. This requirement produces problems both in the employment of the known device in very narrow expansion gaps and also in wide expansion gaps with stiff supporting bars of substantial dimensions, which only have sufficient deformability when they are longer than a predetermined length, and when there is a predetermined spacing between the bars which extend transverse to the direction of traffic flow.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION In view of the above, it is the aim of the invention to achieve the following objects singly or in combination:

to provide a device of the kind mentioned above,

which can be made water-tight without any difficulties and which at the same time operates substantially without wear;

to provide a device which may be effectively sealed regardless of the width of the gap so that it is insensitive to dirt; and

to provide a support for the sealing means proper which spans the gap with sufficient strength and elasticity for a wide range of gap widths.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the invention each support for the expansion gap sealing device comprises legs or rods extending inclined to the roadway surface, wherein the legs are connected together through their upper and lower ends. The upper rod or leg ends are connected to rigid gap strips and the lower ends are interconnected in pairs, whereby the supporting structure is elastically deformable in itself and/or due to the interconnections.

By the term supports in the sense of the invention we mean quite generally an assembly of individual sections put together, which sections are elastically deformable, i.e. are movable against resilient opposition.

As the sections extend substantially vertically or inclined to the roadway surface, their vertical length is only limited by the depth of the gap and therefore the legs may be made sufficiently elastic for all gap widths and at the same time of sufficient strength. The space available below the gap strips may be fully employed. Moreover, the construction according to the invention avoids sealing problems because the spaces between the strips may be sealed in the usual manner by elastically yielding sealing bodies.

Convenient manufacture may also be achieved especially where the second connecting means for the lower ends of the legs comprise connecting members, for example, bars with holes or grooves therein into which the ends of the legs are inserted.

BRIEF FIGURE DESCRIPTION In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, it will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a section through one embodiment of the sealing device according to the invention, taken in a plane transversely through the gap;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the device of FIG. I, whereby in the lefthand portion the sealing strips have been omitted;

FIG. 3 is a section through the gap illustrating a modified embodiment with a support made of rods bent to a U-shape;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the device of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 shows, in perspective, a modification of the device shown in FIGS. 3 and 4; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a portion of a device with a support made out of rod legs bent in three dimensions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows the gap to be bridged in cross section. The gap is defined by the two edges 1 and 2, for example of a roadway, having a surface layer 3 and a roadway sub-structure 4. The gap is bridged by rigid gap strips including two edge plates 5 and 6 secured to the edges of the gap as by welding and a plurality of rigid strips such as gap strips 7, 8 and 9 arranged in the gap itself and forming with their upper edges the roadway surface across the gap. In order to make the construction water-tight, expansion strips 10 of elastic material are arranged between adjacent rigid gap strips and between an edge plate and the respective gap strip adjacent to the respective edge plate. The elastic strips 10, the plates 5 and 6, and the strips 7, 8, 9 extend longitudinally through the entire length of the gap or over part of the length of the gap depending on the type of construction.

To support the gap strips 7, 8 and 9, legs or rods 11 are secured at their upper portions to said plates and strips. The lower ends of the rods associated with an adjacent plate or strip are connected to each other so that each plate or strip is connected through the respective rods to the next adjacent plate or rigid strip. The rods associated with the strips 7 and 9 and inclined towards the middle of the gap are connected to the rods associated with the strip 8. The rods which are inclined in an outward direction are connected to the rods associated with the edge plates 5 and 6. The forces induced in the rods 11 when the gap is subjected to a load are thus transmitted via the two outer rods 11a and 11b to the edges of the gap. It will be understood, that to support the strips in the longitudinal direction of the gap, several of the rod assemblies shown in FIG. 1 are provided. The upper ends of the rods are inserted in holes in the strips and plates and retained in said holes by pins 12. The same manner of attachment may be used for connecting the lower ends of the rods. For this purpose connecting bars 13, shown in section, are provided with holes 14 to receive the rods. The rods are retained in the holes by means of pins 15. The bars 13 could be cut from continuous longitudinal stock, substantially to the same length as the plates and strips. However, the bars 13 could equally well be made shorter, so that for example, only two or three rod interconnections are provided on each member. Finally the bars 13 could also be in the form of short blocks, each of which is only designed to secure and interconnect two rods 11. The ends of the rods in the plates and in the bars 13 are preferably retained in an encased manner. The less the freedom of movement that is available to the ends of the rods, the less play there is in the whole assembly and accordingly the more effective are the resilient forces in the rods utilized. However, it would also be possible to provide pivotal connections whereby an overall elastic degree of freedom of movement would result.

FIG. 2 shows a plan view of FIG. 1. Between the edges I and 2 of the gap to which the edge plates 5 and 6 are connected, the gap strips 7, 8 and 9 are arranged to be movable transversely with respect to the gap. The bars I3 and the strips and plates extend from the edge 16 of the assembly in the longitudinal direction of the gap indicated by the arrow 17. As mentioned, the length of the plates and strips as well as of the bars 13 extending from the edge 16 may be choses as desired. In the lefthand half of FIG. 2 the expansion strips 10 are omitted so that one may see the bars 13 and the rods 11. The edge plates 5 and 6 are secured in the concrete of the roadway foundation 4 by means of anchors 69 and 70.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate a modified device in section and in a plan view, corresponding in its basic construction substantially to the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2. Again the edge plates 5 and 6 are connected to the edges 1 and 2 of the gap. The gap strips 7, 8 and 9 are connected to each other and to the edge plates by means of the rods 18 bent to a hair pin shape. Thus, each rod connects two adjacent gap strips or a gap strip and an edge plate. The edge plates 5 and 6 are connected to the edges of the gap, for example, by welding the plates to the anchors 69, 70. The connecting elements are solely the rods 18 which as viewed in the longitudinal direction of the gap, that is perpendicular to the plane of the drawing, are arranged one behind another, at predetermined spacings, whereby the total number of rods will depend on the bearing capacity of the overall assembly. The upper ends 19 of the rods are again received in holes in the plates and retained by pins 20. The rods 18 are preloaded into position, whereby the rods effect a restoring or biasing action on the movable gap strips 7, 8 and 9, so that these strips are always held in a central position. This arrangement has that advantage that both the vertical loads and also the horizontal braking or accelerating forces may be taken up by the rods.

FIG. 4 shows a plan view of the device of FIG. 3, whereby only the strips 7, 8 and 9 with their rods 18 are shown. An even better utilization of the elastic forces in the rods 18 can be achieved by arranging these rods as illustrated in FIG. 5 whereby the ends 19a and 19b of a rod, as viewed in the direction of the length of the gap are connected to the gap strips one behind the other so that the rods 18 as viewed in a plan view extend in directions inclinded to the transverse direction of the gap. In FIG. 5 the end 19!: is displaced by the distance L with respect to the end of the rod 18. As a result of such displacement and in response to a change in the spacing-between the gap strips the rods 18 will be loaded both with bending and torsion forces.

In view of the foregoing it will be appreciated that the rod combinations form elastic support means for the gap strips.

FIG. 6 shows a portion of a device with an elastic support made up of three-dimensionally bent rods 44, 44a. The rods connect the bars 45 and 45a alternately to the edge plate 5 and to the adjacent gap strips 7 and 8. The rods may be connected to the plates, bars and strips, for example, by weldments at the upper and lower bending points 46 and 47.

In the bars 45 and 45a there are provided transverse slots 48 for better supporting the lower bend of the respective rod. The edge plates 5 and the gap strips 7 have inclined, lateral surfaces 49, 50 respectively to achieve exact engagement of the rods in the region of the bends. The upper bend of the adjacent rod is secured to the inclined, lateral surface 49 of the plate 5 shown in FIG. 6, whereby the plate 5 is connected via the bar 45 to the adjacent strip 7 and so on. The rods secured to each gap strip and leading to different strips are mutually displaced with their upper bend points secured to the plates and strips so that a closely interengaging three-dimensional network of rods is produced between all the plates, strips and rods.

in view of the foregoing, it will be appreciated that depending on the length of the expansion gap it may be advantageous to provide several rows of legs in the longitudinal direction of the gap arranged one behind the other and next to each other transverse to the gap. However, it is also possible to use single rows of legs which are as long as the gap.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the legs are connected together as a framework whereby the leg ends are combined at the nodes. The framework may be constructed to taper downwardly in its overall profile as shown in FIG. 6. The nodes can be formed at the strips. The strips could each have connected thereto two or more nodes or bends.

This embodiment allows using shorter and thereby kink-resistant and at the same time elastic rods for the legs. The connection of the rods at the nodes or bends is advantageously arranged so that all movements take place solely by elastic deformation, whereby no play is necessary between connected legs.

The legs may be resilient at least in one direction transverse to the gap, whereby at least one leg end is rigidly or resiliently clamped or connected. Preferably the legs are slanted so as to be preloaded or biased towards an intermediate position in the gap. This bias of the legs provides a spring force which simultaneously tends to hold the strips against displacement by braking or acceleration forces imparted by the vehicles that pass over the device in the gap.

With regard to the formation of a rod having a plurality of loops as shown in FIG. 6, it should be noted that the hairpin loops could extend in a plane transverse to the gap or in the longitudinal direction of the gap. With hairpin loops extending in the longitudinal direction the upper bends could be connected alternately to one and the other of two adjacent strips or edge plates. The lower bends of the loops could be secured to a strip which is common to the lower bends in the same or in different rod loops.

Although the invention has been described with ref erence to specific example embodiments, it is to be understood, that it is intended to cover all modifications and equivalents within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An expansion gap sealing device for bridging an expansion gap between edges of structural members, comprising rigid strips and compressible strips arranged in an alternating manner and extending alongside each other and longitudinally inside the gap to form an expansion and sealing assembly having outer sides connected to the edges of the gap, supporting structure means comprising rod-like legs having upper ends connected to said rigid strips, said legs extending and converging downwardly into the gap, said legs having lower ends, and lower means connecting said lower ends of the legs to form springy pairs of legs elastically supporting said assembly in response to the movement of said edges.

2. The expansion gap sealing device according to claim 1, wherein said springy legs converge downwardly in pairs, whereby the upper ends of a pair of legs are connected to adjacent rigid strips.

3. The expansion gap sealing device according to claim 1, wherein said legs are inclined relative to the horizontal.

4. The expansion gap sealing device according to claim 1, wherein said legs are elastically deformable, preferably in a direction transverse to the gap.

5. The expansion gap sealing device according to claim 1, wherein said means connecting said lower leg ends comprise a bar for each pair of legs, whereby adjacent legs, the lower ends of which are interconnected by said bar, form a pair.

6. The expansion gap sealing device according to claim 1, wherein said legs are arranged in several rows, and wherein said rows are arranged one behind the other in the direction of the length of the gap.

7. The expansion gap sealing device according to claim 1, wherein said legs are made of curved wire stock, the upper ends of which are connected to said rigid strips, and the lower ends of which are formed into hairpin bends forming said lower connecting means.

8. The expansion gap sealing device according to claim 7, wherein said lower connecting means comprise bars and wherein said hairpin bends are con nected to said bars.

9. The expansion gap sealing device according to claim 8, wherein the upper ends of the legs are also formed into hairpin bends which are connected alternately to one and the other of two adjacent rigid strips.

10. The expansion gap sealing device according to claim 1, wherein said legs are U-shaped or V-shaped members, and wherein the upper ends of the U-shaped or V-shaped members are connected to adjacent rigid strips.

11. The expansion gap sealing device according to claim 10, wherein the ends of the U-shaped or V- shaped members are displaced relative to each other as viewed in the direction of the length of the gap.

12. The expansion gap sealing device according to claim 1, wherein the legs are rods with holes through the upper ends, said device further comprising connecting pins extending through said holes of the upper rod ends and through said rigid strips for attaching said upper rod ends to said rigid strips.

13. The expansion gap sealing device according to claim 1, wherein the rigid strips adjacent to said edges of the structural members are connected to the structural members, whereby the upper ends of said legs connected to said adjacent rigid strips are also connected to the structural members. 

1. An expansion gap sealing device for bridging an expansion gap between edges of structural members, comprising rigid strips and compressible strips arranged in an alternating manner and extending alongside each other and longitudinally inside the gap to form an expansion and sealing assembly having outer sides connected to the edges of the gap, supporting structure means comprising rod-like legs having upper ends connected to said rigid strips, said legs extending and converging downwardly into the gap, said legs having lower ends, and lower means connecting said lower ends of the legs to form springy pairs of legs elastically supporting said assembly in response to the movement of said edges.
 2. The expansion gap sealing device according to claim 1, wherein said springy legs converge downwardly in pairs, whereby the upper ends of a pair of legs are connected to adjacent rigid strips.
 3. The expansion gap sealing device according to claim 1, wherein said legs are inclined relative to the horizontal.
 4. The expansion gap sealing device according to claim 1, wherein said legs are elastically deformable, preferably in a direction transverse to the gap.
 5. The expansion gap sealing device according to claim 1, wherein said means connecting said lower leg ends comprise a bar for each pair of legs, whereby adjacent legs, the lower ends of which are interconnected by said bar, form a pair.
 6. The expansion gap sealing device according to claim 1, wherein said legs are arranged in several rows, and wherein said rows are arranged one behind the other in the direction of the length of the gap.
 7. The expansion gap sealing device according to claim 1, wherein said legs are made of curved wire stock, the upper ends of which are connected to said rigid strips, and the lower ends of which are formed into hairpin bends forming said lower connecting means.
 8. The expansion gap sealing device according to claim 7, wherein said lower connecting means comprise bars and wherein said hairpin bends are connected to said bars.
 9. The expansion gap sealing device according to claim 8, wherein the upper ends of the legs are also formed into hairpin bends which are connected alternately to one and the other of two adjacent rigid strips.
 10. The expansion gap sealing device according to claim 1, wherein said legs are U-shaped or V-shaped members, and wherein the upper ends of the U-shaped or V-shaped members are connected to adjacent rigid strips.
 11. The expansion gap sealing device according to claim 10, wherein the ends of the U-shaped or V-shaped members are displaced relative to each other as viewed in the direction of the length of the gap.
 12. The expansion gap sealing device according to claim 1, wherein the legs are rods with holes through the upper ends, said device further comprising cOnnecting pins extending through said holes of the upper rod ends and through said rigid strips for attaching said upper rod ends to said rigid strips.
 13. The expansion gap sealing device according to claim 1, wherein the rigid strips adjacent to said edges of the structural members are connected to the structural members, whereby the upper ends of said legs connected to said adjacent rigid strips are also connected to the structural members. 